Gold Rush (2018) s05e02 Episode Script
From the Ashes
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.
Feels good coming back, Dad.
This is our home field and this is where I think we belong.
I hope you're right.
Up in the Klondike, Todd and Jack Hoffman are on their own.
Just me and you: one fat kid and an old guy with a bad back.
They have no crew Come on! .
.
and just one last shot at mining for gold.
What if we could come back from the ashes and kick some ass, this year? Against the odds, they've secured ground.
You know, Todd, we've never had stripped ground waiting for us.
But without a wash plant I don't have enough horsepower.
.
.
they're dead in the water.
Whoa! Are you (BLEEP) me? Parker Schnabel is mining good gold.
We'll find the gold.
It's here.
But when Rick discovers that their gold is locked Oh, you're (BLEEP) kidding me.
This is frozen.
.
.
n a layer of ancient permafrost I don't really have anywhere else to go.
.
.
Parker is forced to revamp his mining plan.
There's a (BLEEP) foot of water in the cut, Rick.
Moving to risky new ground Why would they just walk away from it? .
.
to find big gold.
That wasn't a big run, but there's a hell of a lot riding on it.
Tony Beets is in the market for a crane big enough to dismantle his 75-year-old dredge.
A 75-tonner.
It definitely will do the (BLEEP) job.
But when his wife Minnie lays down the law No? You are done.
.
.
Tony ends up with an undersized crane That's only a 50-tonner? So? Which is all that stands between his son, Kevin OK, let her down.
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and annihilation.
Get out! At Scribner Creek in the Klondike, just one week into the season, Parker Schnabel has already mined 73 ounces of gold - worth $88,000.
But, even at this rate, he won't reach his 2,000-ounce, $2.
4 million target for this year.
The 73 ounces is good to start with.
I know Parker wants 100 ounces a week.
If we're gonna get 2,000 ounces, 100 ounces a week is is what we need, so hopefully, we can amp up production a little bit.
At the end of last season, Parker and Rick dug $200,000 of gold from this ground in just four days.
We'll find the gold.
It's here.
It wants to be saved.
We'll rescue it.
Rick is in the far cut, digging pay dirt for the rock trucks to take to the plant.
That's a load.
What the (BLEEP)? Oh, you're (BLEEP) kidding me.
What the (BLEEP) is going on here? Parker, you copy? You OK? Can you come out to the far cut? I think we got some issues.
I hit frost, man.
This is frozen.
(BLEEP) That's not good.
What it That's never been thawed in the last however many thousands of years.
If this is all frozen, then it's not getting sluiced next week, or in two weeks.
(BLEEP) This just turned into a (BLEEP).
Yeah, to put it lightly.
(BLEEP) Parker heads out in the D10 to find out if the rest of the cut is frozen.
If this is frozen, I honestly do not know what we're gonna do.
There goes our month of May.
Can't sluice frozen gravel.
I don't really have anywhere else to go.
To keep running pay dirt, Parker has to quickly find some thawed ground.
Gene, his right-hand man, has an old drill map of the Scribner claim.
I wonder if we can find anything on here that might look promising.
So, uh, what about this abandoned cut here? You know, I mean, it's Why they abandoned it, I don't know.
All right.
They've done something there.
They've done something.
And if they started stripping some of it, it might be thawed? Yeah, it's worth looking at, I think.
The far cut is frozen solid.
The abandoned cut is over a kilometre southwest, near the edge of Parker's claim.
Parker and Gene head over in their all-terrain vehicle, the workhorse of the operation.
Well, this must be it, huh? Yeah, looks like it.
It's a big lake.
Well, it shouldn't be permafrost.
It's, uh, been underwater for 20-plus years.
So Right, but why would they just walk away from it? There's a ton of reasons why they could have walked away from it.
They could've got froze out, broke down, you know, whatever.
It looks like it's thawed pay in there, and we can be mining or sluicing in 24 hours.
The worst right now we've got to do is run a pump for overnight and get the water out and see what it looks like.
Let's do it.
OK.
Less than a month into the season, work on Tony Beets' million-dollar dredge has ground to a halt.
Tony is 760kms away in .
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at an auction with his wife Minnie.
Well, I hope you brought your cheque book.
Let's get that crane.
They are on the hunt for a crane strong enough to move massive sections of his gold-mining dredge.
(AUCTIONEER CALLING) We're gonna need something big and (BLEEP) ugly.
I mean, that's not gonna move itself.
That is a (BLEEP) crane.
That's the one we need.
That's the one I want.
That's a big crane.
That thing is huge.
It's a 75-tonner.
This is what we (BLEEP) need to lift that thing outta there.
But do we need a big one like this? Yes.
This is what I (BLEEP) want to move that with, so we'll just have to make it happen.
I mean, whatever it takes, right? Whatever it takes so Pretty nice.
Pretty nice.
A lot of money, sure, it definitely will do the (BLEEP) job.
Yeah, well, we have a budget, and you're sticking to it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
That we budget.
I don't have a (BLEEP) budget.
(GROANS) (GUFFAWS) I really don't kind of trust him, because I think he'll go over budget on it.
I'm gonna be right beside him.
I don't know how much closer I can get.
(AUCTIONEER CALLING) (BLEEP) You can go $150,000.
$150,000? Yeah.
That's it? Yeah.
I mean, 150 grand for that thing? If we don't realise this thing, we're gonna (BLEEP).
I know that, but I mean, you've got to realise, if you buy it for more than 150, you're not gonna get it, because you don't have the money anyway.
Lot number here Lot number is 2,000.
It's a 2009 link-belt, 75-ton, hydraulic crane here.
Let's take a go now.
You all set? All right.
One-and-a-half.
$110,000.
(ROLLING CALL) We can't.
We can't.
(CALLING CONTINUES) 165? What do you think? No? No.
You are done.
165? Sold at $155,000.
I think we can get a crane at a better deal that will do the job.
I don't think you have to necessarily spend that much money on it.
I needed that (BLEEP) crane.
.
.
Back in the Yukon, Minnie Beets has found a smaller crane for her husband Tony - one that fits their budget.
That's only a 50-tonner.
So? Well, I wanted a 75.
Well, too bad, really.
We've gotta have something that lifts - Why don't you try it out? See what it does.
(ENGINE REVS) (BEEPING) Wellat least the thing is running.
What do you think? Like everybody else's (BLEEP) crane, I guess.
Seems to operate, seems to do fine, seems to run good.
Well, this is the one you own.
What do you mean, it's the one we own? Well, I bought it.
We own it lock, stock, and barrel.
(BLEEP) It's yours.
We'll give it a try, I guess, huh? (BLEEP) cold or something? It's raining here.
You're dry.
Look at that old girl out in the (BLEEP) rain.
There is no room for two people in there.
(LAUGHS) Todd and Jack Hoffman have clawed their way back to the gold fields of the Klondike.
They have little but the shirt on their backs, but they've secured one of the last claims around.
McKinnon Creek, 350 acres of ground that was abandoned by the previous miners.
It's a little bit like a ghost town, Dad.
Let's go look round.
This was a big operation.
When they pulled out, they left a mess.
What do you think, Dad? I don't think it matters what I think.
If there's gold here .
.
that's what I'm looking at.
We could clean this crap up, possibly stay here, huh? Yeah.
Yeah, if we had to.
OK, let's keep looking around.
Look at this.
Look at this, Dad.
They did all their clean-ups in here.
Here's some of their black sand.
Dad, look! A little flake of gold right there.
Yeah? Some more gold here.
Look at that.
Look at this.
Oh, yeah.
There's gold everywhere.
There's some gold floating right here.
I'll tell you what, seeing that gold .
.
I think in my heart, I think this is a good place, I do.
Two years ago, Todd and Jack mined just 16kms away and got over $1 million in gold.
Guys, you see that? That's a team effort right there.
But their success took a lot of men and a lot of machines.
Now, after a disastrous season in the jungle, they have no men and almost no machines.
I believe in this ground, but I'm not so sure we can do anything about it.
But we do have a wash plant from Guyana.
Yeah.
We could get that up here.
I know the plant's good, OK.
But we're not gonna do anything, just me and you: one fat kid and an old guy with a bad back.
We're gonna need help.
I can get somebody else.
I don't care who it is.
I can get somebody.
OK.
Well, let's go for it.
We've got a lot of work in front of us.
The Hoffmans need their jungle wash plant, which they've stored in Colorado.
Hey, Thurb.
Jack.
Jack calls an old friend to make a plea for help.
But we're up in the Klondike.
Meanwhile, Todd heads off to find a very specific excavator.
Hey, Greg.
Hey, Todd, how's it going, buddy? I'm doing all right.
Oh, good, good.
I'm doing all right.
Probably a long shot, but my dad's old 400 I sold you a couple years ago Right.
Hoping you still had her.
I still got it, but I'm gonna be honest with you.
I haven't used it in It ain't even been started, Todd, in a long time.
Right.
But I'll tell you what, if you can get her started, we'll work out something.
OK.
All right, man.
All right, Todd.
You take care, buddy.
Thanks, Greg.
Uh-huh, bye-bye.
Appreciate it.
Three kilometres down the road, at the edge of Greg's claim, Todd finds Jack's old, 400 excavator.
Well, I'll be damned.
I brought this up my very first mining season.
I got it for 20,000 bucks.
It actually cost more to ship it than it was to buy it.
Let's see if she still runs.
(GROANS) (ENGINE SPUTTERS) This ain't good.
Come on.
(ENGINE STRUGGLES) (SIGHS) (GRUNTS) Hey, Dad.
You got a copy? Yeah, I hear you.
Look over here.
Yeah! Where the heck did you find that? Merry Christmas.
It's been two years since Jack Hoffman has sat in his 400.
Now he and Todd are one step closer to gold mining.
I'll tell you what, this is where I belong.
The old girl's gonna put us back in business.
I used to think my dad liked that 400 more than me.
And now I'm sure of it.
At Scribner Creek, Parker has pumped out the abandoned cut.
He's named it the Swamp Cut.
Now he needs to find out if it holds any gold.
Everything else is frozen, and we're not gonna be sluicing a thing if this cut doesn't pay off.
And there's some gold in here.
It doesn't look great.
Sonot ideal.
And the only way to know for sure is to take a 1,000-yard test, bring it up to the wash plant, sluice it, and that'll tell us exactly what to do.
So we'll go get the trucks in here and bring 1,000 yards to the plant.
Well, I just want to get started here on digging this test.
Run it here for a little while.
OK, Rick, can you, uh, can you load this pay here? Back up to you here.
All right.
All right.
Here we go.
We're just getting ready to run the dirt.
This is the first gold material from the Swamp Cut.
Hopefully, it's good, as well.
That's all we have at the moment.
Without that, we wouldn't be sluicing.
Chris fires up Big Red to run the test material.
Parker's 2,000-ounce season is riding on the results.
Hey, let's go.
Come on.
Go! (LAUGHS) By the end of the day, the crew is halfway through their 1,000-yard test.
The next morning, they return to finish the job.
(BLEEP) What the (BLEEP)? What the (BLEEP)? There's a (BLEEP) foot of water in the cut, Rick.
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.
At Scribner Creek, a pump has failed overnight.
Parker's new Swamp Cut has turned into a lake.
It's flooded.
And I don't know what the (BLEEP).
Who dug this sump? This sump is plenty deep enough.
You know, if it was done right, there'd be a pile of bedrock sitting here.
So where's the bedrock out of the sump? This is (BLEEP).
And all I asked is a question is, who dug the sump? Greg dug the sump.
The sump is a low point dug deep in the cut for the water to drain into.
Parker suspects that the sump was not dug deep enough, causing the pump intake to clog up with mud.
If Greg had dug the sump all the way down to bedrock, the intake hose would have been able to draw water unobstructed.
So did you dig that sump out a couple days ago? No.
I came up here and saw you sitting in an excavator right there, looking in the sump.
Yes, I was digging the berm away.
I didn't go into the sump because - None of that (BLEEP)'s deep enough.
None of that (BLEEP) deep enough, right? Pumps aren't working.
The pump's not working cos the sump's not deep enough.
You know, let's start taking a little bit of pride in our work, and if you don't want to, that's fine.
We've got a rock truck for you.
I just got blamed for thefor our cut being wet.
It's news to me that, all of a sudden, I'm supposed to monitor the pump 24/7.
Gene and Rick remove the hose to work on the sump.
You have to swing this way, Rick.
They dig down to bedrock.
Dig a couple more out in there, just real deep in the bedrock.
So just a few more right there.
Hey, Greg.
If you can, reach what Rick can't reach there.
Got to get it done right because, in order to get sluicing, we got to get this water under control.
You know, if this pump doesn't pump the water out, we can lose the cut.
Yeah, it's pumping good now.
We're good for now.
The water's pumping.
That's That's what we need.
Our cut's getting dried out.
We can get the gold.
80kms north, at Clear Creek, Tony Beets has hauled in his new 50-ton crane.
He's determined to have his 75-year-old floating gold factory running before the fall.
To have any chance, he needs to take it apart in a hurry.
First to go is the stacker or tailings conveyor.
Anyway, gentlemen, this is the stacker.
We're gonna let the (BLEEP) down in one piece and put it on that (BLEEP) trailer, haul it out it one (BLEEP) piece.
Save us so much (BLEEP) trouble.
Anything, Jerry? What do you think? Well, Tony, this is the biggest piece to come off the dredge as far as length.
We don't wanna drop it, I don't have a (BLEEP) second one.
I definitely don't wanna (BLEEP) build a second one.
OK.
Let's (BLEEP) do it.
You need to boom in some.
I still got dancing on the cable, Jerry.
You might have to boom up a little bit more.
Hang in there.
Give it a little bit more.
If one of the old attachments break, the whole stacker will come crashing down, but there's not much we can do.
We'll see what happens here.
No-one has moved the dredge's stacker in over a quarter of a century.
Tony has no idea how much weight the crane will have to support when he removes the last bolt.
(WHIRRING) That's not bad.
Perfect.
So now we're all free and clear, it's completely hanging in the crane.
So I'd rather not delay anything.
We're gonna slowly let her down.
OK, Jerry, let her down.
Where's Kevin? Kevin! Get out! Keep her going.
Yeah, looks good.
(THUD) What the (BLEEP) was that crashing? He's going downhill, huh? Oh, there's a back plate here.
There's a back plate, Tony.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Hold it.
The stacker is caught on a steel plate.
Someone needs to go in under tons of hanging metal to free it up.
Well, we'll take a chance on it.
It's a little messed up right now.
Tony could probably dobe doing that a lot safer than he is, but he wants to get it apart and out of here.
But that's the way Tony is.
(CREAKING) (CLANGING) OK, that one's clear.
OK, we're clear.
Doug, a little more.
It's looking good here, Tony.
The rest of it goes this smooth, it'll be nice.
That sounds good.
At McKinnon Creek, Todd has fired up a loader that was abandoned on their claim.
And with Jack in his trusty 400, they are finally breaking ground.
Know what? It feels pretty good, actually.
It's me and my dad.
Yeah, and I'm stockpiling pay here, because the wash plant's on its way.
I got Thurber bringing it up.
Hey, Dad, this is our first dirt we've moved.
This is our fifth season.
I know that this ground right here is absolutely great ground.
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't.
Hey, Todd.
This is Thurber.
I got a copy? Thurber.
Thurber, I got you.
Hey, I'm here at the river and got the trommel.
OK, I got a loader, and I'm coming.
OK? Jack, follow me out.
When I got the call that they got land and, uh, good land and a lot of it, oh, I loaded up and took off.
I went to Colorado on my way up hereand picked up the trommel.
You know, I've mined for four years with Jack and Todd.
It gets in your blood.
Yeah, go ahead, Todd.
Hey, Thurber, where's the driver? He's looked at that river and said, 'This is as far as he goes.
' He's not doing it.
You have no idea how deep that is.
Todd, that's got quite a bit of current.
That might push you.
Hey, you guys.
I just drove that thing thousands of miles.
I'm not going to let 200 feet of river stop us.
Let's go for it.
Todd's plan: use the loader to drag the 20-ton wash plant across the river and onto their new claim.
OK, guys.
I'm gonna go ahead and roll across here.
Hey, go easy, Todd.
Looks good.
Keep going.
Looks good here.
Looking good.
Looking good.
(BOTH LAUGH) I made it.
I knew I could count on you, buddy.
Hey, dude.
The dream's still there.
Cannot believe it.
Thurb, look at her.
Here we are at another crossroads with this red trommel, man.
All right, hook me up.
Pin is in, Todd.
Ready to go.
Here we go.
Yeah, that's a beast.
I'm glad I didn't know we were doing this.
Last night, I wouldn't have slept, I'll tell you that.
The problem with the trommel is, it's tippy, and that's what scares me is, if the bottom isn't super level, you know, it'll tip over.
You got to take a gamble.
I don't know exactly what's gonna happen here.
Well, when you do go, you can't stop and think about it out in that water.
You either have to go or not.
Hey, Dad and Thurber, say a quick little prayer, boys, cos here we go.
I'm going in.
That thing's big, and it's very top-heavy.
Once it goes over, you know, this river is gonna take it bye-bye.
It's not gonna stick around.
Easy, easy.
Right through there.
Careful.
OK, I felt that hole in my tyre.
OK.
This ain't gonna I got to go around it.
I got to go to the right.
It's right here.
Yeah, it looksjust right there, if you go to your right a little bit.
OK, I'm gonna turn it.
How's it looking? Easy, we're coming into it with the trommel.
The back wheels are gonna start into it, and that's where the critical point is.
I think you're across that part.
I don't have enough horsepower, guys.
I don't have enough horsepower.
Oh, what's going on? All she's got.
Go for it.
Go, go, go.
Woo! Woo! You did it.
Hey, uh, how the hell do I get across? You're gonna have to go up and around that road.
All right.
All right, man.
I feel good about this.
We got it.
At Scribner Creek, Chris Doumitt is shutting down Big Red, Parker's massive wash plant.
The crew has finished the 1,000-yard test of their new Swamp Cut.
Parker cleans up the gold.
$10 a yard, or 10 ounces, from this test would get Parker back on track to hit 2,000 ounces for the season.
This is really gonna decide the next little bit of our season.
I'm optimistic.
Hey, Gene.
Yeah? I just finished cleaning up this 1,000-yard test.
Well, how'd it look? So we really need this to be 10 ounces, don't we? It's not a big cleanout.
It wasn't a big run.
But there's a hell of a lot riding on it.
God, I hope this is good.
It's, uh, 7.
3.
Damn it.
Three-quarters of an ounce per hundred, huh? That was kind of my fear, that, you know Right.
Yeah.
Pretty lean, huh? Yeah, not really what we were looking for, but Well, I mean, the advantage is that it's not nearly the stripping, huh? No, I mean, yeah.
That's the good side of it, I guess.
I mean, it's not great and it's not the result I want to see, but if we start paying attention to what we're taking as gravel and bedrock, maybe we can get that up.
It's not the best, but if we start pounding yards through it, I think we can make money on it.
I guess we need to got get after it, get some dirt moved.
I mean, it's not the greatest result, but it's what we need.
You know, I think we can make money on it.
We're pretty good at moving dirt efficiently, and if we can keep that as our goal and keep yardage as our goal and keep just cranking through as much material as we can, I think this cut's gonna pay off.
.
.
Todd and Jack are on the homestretch with the trommel they used in the jungle last season.
They have just two miles to go to their new claim, McKinnon Creek.
Are you (BLEEP) me? That really sank out of sight, man.
I'll drive by here.
I'll go get the 400.
Erm, not so sure, Dad.
We could lift it and pull it, OK? I wouldn't go forwards.
I'd go backwards.
OK, here's what I think we ought to do.
We'll chain up to the bucket.
I'll try to lift, but I'm gonna try to pull.
Todd will use the loader to lift the 20-ton trommel and pull it out of the mud.
If this doesn't work, it's gonna bea long night.
This is wrong.
You just got the wrong piece of equipment to do the job.
OK, Dad, I'm gonna go turn around, come back, see if I can I don't know.
See if we can get this thing out, I don't know if it's gonna happen, but we'll try.
Well, at least we got the loader out now, we've got a chance.
Hook me down to the front, and I'll pull it up.
I will.
I will.
Just stop.
Come on, Jack.
Hurry up.
(METAL CREAKS) Starting to budge.
Whoa! Oh (BLEEP)! (BLEEP) Let's quit this.
Let's go get the 400.
Get me right underneath there and see if I can lift the whole thing.
Unchain me.
Todd is convinced he can make the loader work.
He wants to give it one more shot.
It's buried.
It's stuck in the (BLEEP).
Unchain me! You're pulling like this.
Hey, unchain me.
I can't get on any other place that's underneath.
Hey, unchain me.
You know what? You can just suck eggs.
(GRUNTS) Jack refuses, and heads off to get the 400.
Jack has a different plan: lift the trommel and haul it out backwards using the 400's traction.
I just don't think you're ever gonna pull that out.
You know what? Just kind of let me do my own thing.
Easy.
Easy.
(THUD) Geez! Stop, stop, stop, stop.
(GROANS) That's all she wrote right there.
But the 10-ton lift is just too much for the aging 400's hydraulics.
With night fast approaching, Todd and Jack desperately need a new plan.
Get the loader then, what we're gonna do is you're gonna push it out.
And I'm gonna go with you.
Plan A was mine.
Plan B was Jack's.
Now, our plan C, it's kind of a hybrid of both of our plans.
OK, Dad.
Start pushing.
Watch it.
Hey.
When I'm pulling, you need to push.
Push.
It's working.
He's got it.
Yeah! Woo! Good job, Dad.
Woo! 12,000 miles, Dad and finally found a home for her.
We're gonna actually get gold with this trommel.
I tell you what, we paid our dues.
This is our year, Dad.
Dude.
I love it.
Dad, this is so pretty.
You made it.
Holy ga-moley! Woo! 12,000 miles, man.
She came home.
Huh? Look at that.
That's all pay dirt, Thurber.
That's all pay.
Look to your left.
That's all pay dirt over there too.
Listen, we're short some machines.
It ain't gonna be pretty, but we've got enough to run dirt.
We're back in business, starting from scratch.
Bring it in, Dad.
Heavenly father, we thank you for just getting us here and helping us come through all the turmoil that we've gone through.
We praise you and we thank you.
It's in your name we pray.
Amen.
Amen.
What if we could come back from the ashes and kick some ass this year? You know what? Stranger things have happened.
With 316 mining is fricking back in business.
On the next Gold Rush The Hoffmans struggle with their three-man team.
Todd, turn it off.
The skeleton crew takes on the work of 10 men Stop! Get out of the way! .
.
just to get their wash plant up and running.
It bleeds down.
I fully understand that.
Their reward: a payday that's been a long time coming.
Yeah! That's our best first cleanup ever.
Tony Beets continues his mad scramble to tear down his dredge .
.
but his reckless abandon .
.
comes at a price.
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! (BLEEP) You see all that twisted sealant there, Tony? .
.
and determined to hit his 2,000-ounce goal We're falling behind.
.
.
Parker Schnabel lays down the law Either walk out of here, or we run 24/7.
.
.
then hits problem We got a hole in the belt.
.
.
after problem This just isn't working.
Pushing for a cleanup that just might get his season back on track.
That's good gold.
That's a pretty damn good pan.
.
Feels good coming back, Dad.
This is our home field and this is where I think we belong.
I hope you're right.
Up in the Klondike, Todd and Jack Hoffman are on their own.
Just me and you: one fat kid and an old guy with a bad back.
They have no crew Come on! .
.
and just one last shot at mining for gold.
What if we could come back from the ashes and kick some ass, this year? Against the odds, they've secured ground.
You know, Todd, we've never had stripped ground waiting for us.
But without a wash plant I don't have enough horsepower.
.
.
they're dead in the water.
Whoa! Are you (BLEEP) me? Parker Schnabel is mining good gold.
We'll find the gold.
It's here.
But when Rick discovers that their gold is locked Oh, you're (BLEEP) kidding me.
This is frozen.
.
.
n a layer of ancient permafrost I don't really have anywhere else to go.
.
.
Parker is forced to revamp his mining plan.
There's a (BLEEP) foot of water in the cut, Rick.
Moving to risky new ground Why would they just walk away from it? .
.
to find big gold.
That wasn't a big run, but there's a hell of a lot riding on it.
Tony Beets is in the market for a crane big enough to dismantle his 75-year-old dredge.
A 75-tonner.
It definitely will do the (BLEEP) job.
But when his wife Minnie lays down the law No? You are done.
.
.
Tony ends up with an undersized crane That's only a 50-tonner? So? Which is all that stands between his son, Kevin OK, let her down.
.
.
and annihilation.
Get out! At Scribner Creek in the Klondike, just one week into the season, Parker Schnabel has already mined 73 ounces of gold - worth $88,000.
But, even at this rate, he won't reach his 2,000-ounce, $2.
4 million target for this year.
The 73 ounces is good to start with.
I know Parker wants 100 ounces a week.
If we're gonna get 2,000 ounces, 100 ounces a week is is what we need, so hopefully, we can amp up production a little bit.
At the end of last season, Parker and Rick dug $200,000 of gold from this ground in just four days.
We'll find the gold.
It's here.
It wants to be saved.
We'll rescue it.
Rick is in the far cut, digging pay dirt for the rock trucks to take to the plant.
That's a load.
What the (BLEEP)? Oh, you're (BLEEP) kidding me.
What the (BLEEP) is going on here? Parker, you copy? You OK? Can you come out to the far cut? I think we got some issues.
I hit frost, man.
This is frozen.
(BLEEP) That's not good.
What it That's never been thawed in the last however many thousands of years.
If this is all frozen, then it's not getting sluiced next week, or in two weeks.
(BLEEP) This just turned into a (BLEEP).
Yeah, to put it lightly.
(BLEEP) Parker heads out in the D10 to find out if the rest of the cut is frozen.
If this is frozen, I honestly do not know what we're gonna do.
There goes our month of May.
Can't sluice frozen gravel.
I don't really have anywhere else to go.
To keep running pay dirt, Parker has to quickly find some thawed ground.
Gene, his right-hand man, has an old drill map of the Scribner claim.
I wonder if we can find anything on here that might look promising.
So, uh, what about this abandoned cut here? You know, I mean, it's Why they abandoned it, I don't know.
All right.
They've done something there.
They've done something.
And if they started stripping some of it, it might be thawed? Yeah, it's worth looking at, I think.
The far cut is frozen solid.
The abandoned cut is over a kilometre southwest, near the edge of Parker's claim.
Parker and Gene head over in their all-terrain vehicle, the workhorse of the operation.
Well, this must be it, huh? Yeah, looks like it.
It's a big lake.
Well, it shouldn't be permafrost.
It's, uh, been underwater for 20-plus years.
So Right, but why would they just walk away from it? There's a ton of reasons why they could have walked away from it.
They could've got froze out, broke down, you know, whatever.
It looks like it's thawed pay in there, and we can be mining or sluicing in 24 hours.
The worst right now we've got to do is run a pump for overnight and get the water out and see what it looks like.
Let's do it.
OK.
Less than a month into the season, work on Tony Beets' million-dollar dredge has ground to a halt.
Tony is 760kms away in .
.
at an auction with his wife Minnie.
Well, I hope you brought your cheque book.
Let's get that crane.
They are on the hunt for a crane strong enough to move massive sections of his gold-mining dredge.
(AUCTIONEER CALLING) We're gonna need something big and (BLEEP) ugly.
I mean, that's not gonna move itself.
That is a (BLEEP) crane.
That's the one we need.
That's the one I want.
That's a big crane.
That thing is huge.
It's a 75-tonner.
This is what we (BLEEP) need to lift that thing outta there.
But do we need a big one like this? Yes.
This is what I (BLEEP) want to move that with, so we'll just have to make it happen.
I mean, whatever it takes, right? Whatever it takes so Pretty nice.
Pretty nice.
A lot of money, sure, it definitely will do the (BLEEP) job.
Yeah, well, we have a budget, and you're sticking to it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
That we budget.
I don't have a (BLEEP) budget.
(GROANS) (GUFFAWS) I really don't kind of trust him, because I think he'll go over budget on it.
I'm gonna be right beside him.
I don't know how much closer I can get.
(AUCTIONEER CALLING) (BLEEP) You can go $150,000.
$150,000? Yeah.
That's it? Yeah.
I mean, 150 grand for that thing? If we don't realise this thing, we're gonna (BLEEP).
I know that, but I mean, you've got to realise, if you buy it for more than 150, you're not gonna get it, because you don't have the money anyway.
Lot number here Lot number is 2,000.
It's a 2009 link-belt, 75-ton, hydraulic crane here.
Let's take a go now.
You all set? All right.
One-and-a-half.
$110,000.
(ROLLING CALL) We can't.
We can't.
(CALLING CONTINUES) 165? What do you think? No? No.
You are done.
165? Sold at $155,000.
I think we can get a crane at a better deal that will do the job.
I don't think you have to necessarily spend that much money on it.
I needed that (BLEEP) crane.
.
.
Back in the Yukon, Minnie Beets has found a smaller crane for her husband Tony - one that fits their budget.
That's only a 50-tonner.
So? Well, I wanted a 75.
Well, too bad, really.
We've gotta have something that lifts - Why don't you try it out? See what it does.
(ENGINE REVS) (BEEPING) Wellat least the thing is running.
What do you think? Like everybody else's (BLEEP) crane, I guess.
Seems to operate, seems to do fine, seems to run good.
Well, this is the one you own.
What do you mean, it's the one we own? Well, I bought it.
We own it lock, stock, and barrel.
(BLEEP) It's yours.
We'll give it a try, I guess, huh? (BLEEP) cold or something? It's raining here.
You're dry.
Look at that old girl out in the (BLEEP) rain.
There is no room for two people in there.
(LAUGHS) Todd and Jack Hoffman have clawed their way back to the gold fields of the Klondike.
They have little but the shirt on their backs, but they've secured one of the last claims around.
McKinnon Creek, 350 acres of ground that was abandoned by the previous miners.
It's a little bit like a ghost town, Dad.
Let's go look round.
This was a big operation.
When they pulled out, they left a mess.
What do you think, Dad? I don't think it matters what I think.
If there's gold here .
.
that's what I'm looking at.
We could clean this crap up, possibly stay here, huh? Yeah.
Yeah, if we had to.
OK, let's keep looking around.
Look at this.
Look at this, Dad.
They did all their clean-ups in here.
Here's some of their black sand.
Dad, look! A little flake of gold right there.
Yeah? Some more gold here.
Look at that.
Look at this.
Oh, yeah.
There's gold everywhere.
There's some gold floating right here.
I'll tell you what, seeing that gold .
.
I think in my heart, I think this is a good place, I do.
Two years ago, Todd and Jack mined just 16kms away and got over $1 million in gold.
Guys, you see that? That's a team effort right there.
But their success took a lot of men and a lot of machines.
Now, after a disastrous season in the jungle, they have no men and almost no machines.
I believe in this ground, but I'm not so sure we can do anything about it.
But we do have a wash plant from Guyana.
Yeah.
We could get that up here.
I know the plant's good, OK.
But we're not gonna do anything, just me and you: one fat kid and an old guy with a bad back.
We're gonna need help.
I can get somebody else.
I don't care who it is.
I can get somebody.
OK.
Well, let's go for it.
We've got a lot of work in front of us.
The Hoffmans need their jungle wash plant, which they've stored in Colorado.
Hey, Thurb.
Jack.
Jack calls an old friend to make a plea for help.
But we're up in the Klondike.
Meanwhile, Todd heads off to find a very specific excavator.
Hey, Greg.
Hey, Todd, how's it going, buddy? I'm doing all right.
Oh, good, good.
I'm doing all right.
Probably a long shot, but my dad's old 400 I sold you a couple years ago Right.
Hoping you still had her.
I still got it, but I'm gonna be honest with you.
I haven't used it in It ain't even been started, Todd, in a long time.
Right.
But I'll tell you what, if you can get her started, we'll work out something.
OK.
All right, man.
All right, Todd.
You take care, buddy.
Thanks, Greg.
Uh-huh, bye-bye.
Appreciate it.
Three kilometres down the road, at the edge of Greg's claim, Todd finds Jack's old, 400 excavator.
Well, I'll be damned.
I brought this up my very first mining season.
I got it for 20,000 bucks.
It actually cost more to ship it than it was to buy it.
Let's see if she still runs.
(GROANS) (ENGINE SPUTTERS) This ain't good.
Come on.
(ENGINE STRUGGLES) (SIGHS) (GRUNTS) Hey, Dad.
You got a copy? Yeah, I hear you.
Look over here.
Yeah! Where the heck did you find that? Merry Christmas.
It's been two years since Jack Hoffman has sat in his 400.
Now he and Todd are one step closer to gold mining.
I'll tell you what, this is where I belong.
The old girl's gonna put us back in business.
I used to think my dad liked that 400 more than me.
And now I'm sure of it.
At Scribner Creek, Parker has pumped out the abandoned cut.
He's named it the Swamp Cut.
Now he needs to find out if it holds any gold.
Everything else is frozen, and we're not gonna be sluicing a thing if this cut doesn't pay off.
And there's some gold in here.
It doesn't look great.
Sonot ideal.
And the only way to know for sure is to take a 1,000-yard test, bring it up to the wash plant, sluice it, and that'll tell us exactly what to do.
So we'll go get the trucks in here and bring 1,000 yards to the plant.
Well, I just want to get started here on digging this test.
Run it here for a little while.
OK, Rick, can you, uh, can you load this pay here? Back up to you here.
All right.
All right.
Here we go.
We're just getting ready to run the dirt.
This is the first gold material from the Swamp Cut.
Hopefully, it's good, as well.
That's all we have at the moment.
Without that, we wouldn't be sluicing.
Chris fires up Big Red to run the test material.
Parker's 2,000-ounce season is riding on the results.
Hey, let's go.
Come on.
Go! (LAUGHS) By the end of the day, the crew is halfway through their 1,000-yard test.
The next morning, they return to finish the job.
(BLEEP) What the (BLEEP)? What the (BLEEP)? There's a (BLEEP) foot of water in the cut, Rick.
.
.
At Scribner Creek, a pump has failed overnight.
Parker's new Swamp Cut has turned into a lake.
It's flooded.
And I don't know what the (BLEEP).
Who dug this sump? This sump is plenty deep enough.
You know, if it was done right, there'd be a pile of bedrock sitting here.
So where's the bedrock out of the sump? This is (BLEEP).
And all I asked is a question is, who dug the sump? Greg dug the sump.
The sump is a low point dug deep in the cut for the water to drain into.
Parker suspects that the sump was not dug deep enough, causing the pump intake to clog up with mud.
If Greg had dug the sump all the way down to bedrock, the intake hose would have been able to draw water unobstructed.
So did you dig that sump out a couple days ago? No.
I came up here and saw you sitting in an excavator right there, looking in the sump.
Yes, I was digging the berm away.
I didn't go into the sump because - None of that (BLEEP)'s deep enough.
None of that (BLEEP) deep enough, right? Pumps aren't working.
The pump's not working cos the sump's not deep enough.
You know, let's start taking a little bit of pride in our work, and if you don't want to, that's fine.
We've got a rock truck for you.
I just got blamed for thefor our cut being wet.
It's news to me that, all of a sudden, I'm supposed to monitor the pump 24/7.
Gene and Rick remove the hose to work on the sump.
You have to swing this way, Rick.
They dig down to bedrock.
Dig a couple more out in there, just real deep in the bedrock.
So just a few more right there.
Hey, Greg.
If you can, reach what Rick can't reach there.
Got to get it done right because, in order to get sluicing, we got to get this water under control.
You know, if this pump doesn't pump the water out, we can lose the cut.
Yeah, it's pumping good now.
We're good for now.
The water's pumping.
That's That's what we need.
Our cut's getting dried out.
We can get the gold.
80kms north, at Clear Creek, Tony Beets has hauled in his new 50-ton crane.
He's determined to have his 75-year-old floating gold factory running before the fall.
To have any chance, he needs to take it apart in a hurry.
First to go is the stacker or tailings conveyor.
Anyway, gentlemen, this is the stacker.
We're gonna let the (BLEEP) down in one piece and put it on that (BLEEP) trailer, haul it out it one (BLEEP) piece.
Save us so much (BLEEP) trouble.
Anything, Jerry? What do you think? Well, Tony, this is the biggest piece to come off the dredge as far as length.
We don't wanna drop it, I don't have a (BLEEP) second one.
I definitely don't wanna (BLEEP) build a second one.
OK.
Let's (BLEEP) do it.
You need to boom in some.
I still got dancing on the cable, Jerry.
You might have to boom up a little bit more.
Hang in there.
Give it a little bit more.
If one of the old attachments break, the whole stacker will come crashing down, but there's not much we can do.
We'll see what happens here.
No-one has moved the dredge's stacker in over a quarter of a century.
Tony has no idea how much weight the crane will have to support when he removes the last bolt.
(WHIRRING) That's not bad.
Perfect.
So now we're all free and clear, it's completely hanging in the crane.
So I'd rather not delay anything.
We're gonna slowly let her down.
OK, Jerry, let her down.
Where's Kevin? Kevin! Get out! Keep her going.
Yeah, looks good.
(THUD) What the (BLEEP) was that crashing? He's going downhill, huh? Oh, there's a back plate here.
There's a back plate, Tony.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Hold it.
The stacker is caught on a steel plate.
Someone needs to go in under tons of hanging metal to free it up.
Well, we'll take a chance on it.
It's a little messed up right now.
Tony could probably dobe doing that a lot safer than he is, but he wants to get it apart and out of here.
But that's the way Tony is.
(CREAKING) (CLANGING) OK, that one's clear.
OK, we're clear.
Doug, a little more.
It's looking good here, Tony.
The rest of it goes this smooth, it'll be nice.
That sounds good.
At McKinnon Creek, Todd has fired up a loader that was abandoned on their claim.
And with Jack in his trusty 400, they are finally breaking ground.
Know what? It feels pretty good, actually.
It's me and my dad.
Yeah, and I'm stockpiling pay here, because the wash plant's on its way.
I got Thurber bringing it up.
Hey, Dad, this is our first dirt we've moved.
This is our fifth season.
I know that this ground right here is absolutely great ground.
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't.
Hey, Todd.
This is Thurber.
I got a copy? Thurber.
Thurber, I got you.
Hey, I'm here at the river and got the trommel.
OK, I got a loader, and I'm coming.
OK? Jack, follow me out.
When I got the call that they got land and, uh, good land and a lot of it, oh, I loaded up and took off.
I went to Colorado on my way up hereand picked up the trommel.
You know, I've mined for four years with Jack and Todd.
It gets in your blood.
Yeah, go ahead, Todd.
Hey, Thurber, where's the driver? He's looked at that river and said, 'This is as far as he goes.
' He's not doing it.
You have no idea how deep that is.
Todd, that's got quite a bit of current.
That might push you.
Hey, you guys.
I just drove that thing thousands of miles.
I'm not going to let 200 feet of river stop us.
Let's go for it.
Todd's plan: use the loader to drag the 20-ton wash plant across the river and onto their new claim.
OK, guys.
I'm gonna go ahead and roll across here.
Hey, go easy, Todd.
Looks good.
Keep going.
Looks good here.
Looking good.
Looking good.
(BOTH LAUGH) I made it.
I knew I could count on you, buddy.
Hey, dude.
The dream's still there.
Cannot believe it.
Thurb, look at her.
Here we are at another crossroads with this red trommel, man.
All right, hook me up.
Pin is in, Todd.
Ready to go.
Here we go.
Yeah, that's a beast.
I'm glad I didn't know we were doing this.
Last night, I wouldn't have slept, I'll tell you that.
The problem with the trommel is, it's tippy, and that's what scares me is, if the bottom isn't super level, you know, it'll tip over.
You got to take a gamble.
I don't know exactly what's gonna happen here.
Well, when you do go, you can't stop and think about it out in that water.
You either have to go or not.
Hey, Dad and Thurber, say a quick little prayer, boys, cos here we go.
I'm going in.
That thing's big, and it's very top-heavy.
Once it goes over, you know, this river is gonna take it bye-bye.
It's not gonna stick around.
Easy, easy.
Right through there.
Careful.
OK, I felt that hole in my tyre.
OK.
This ain't gonna I got to go around it.
I got to go to the right.
It's right here.
Yeah, it looksjust right there, if you go to your right a little bit.
OK, I'm gonna turn it.
How's it looking? Easy, we're coming into it with the trommel.
The back wheels are gonna start into it, and that's where the critical point is.
I think you're across that part.
I don't have enough horsepower, guys.
I don't have enough horsepower.
Oh, what's going on? All she's got.
Go for it.
Go, go, go.
Woo! Woo! You did it.
Hey, uh, how the hell do I get across? You're gonna have to go up and around that road.
All right.
All right, man.
I feel good about this.
We got it.
At Scribner Creek, Chris Doumitt is shutting down Big Red, Parker's massive wash plant.
The crew has finished the 1,000-yard test of their new Swamp Cut.
Parker cleans up the gold.
$10 a yard, or 10 ounces, from this test would get Parker back on track to hit 2,000 ounces for the season.
This is really gonna decide the next little bit of our season.
I'm optimistic.
Hey, Gene.
Yeah? I just finished cleaning up this 1,000-yard test.
Well, how'd it look? So we really need this to be 10 ounces, don't we? It's not a big cleanout.
It wasn't a big run.
But there's a hell of a lot riding on it.
God, I hope this is good.
It's, uh, 7.
3.
Damn it.
Three-quarters of an ounce per hundred, huh? That was kind of my fear, that, you know Right.
Yeah.
Pretty lean, huh? Yeah, not really what we were looking for, but Well, I mean, the advantage is that it's not nearly the stripping, huh? No, I mean, yeah.
That's the good side of it, I guess.
I mean, it's not great and it's not the result I want to see, but if we start paying attention to what we're taking as gravel and bedrock, maybe we can get that up.
It's not the best, but if we start pounding yards through it, I think we can make money on it.
I guess we need to got get after it, get some dirt moved.
I mean, it's not the greatest result, but it's what we need.
You know, I think we can make money on it.
We're pretty good at moving dirt efficiently, and if we can keep that as our goal and keep yardage as our goal and keep just cranking through as much material as we can, I think this cut's gonna pay off.
.
.
Todd and Jack are on the homestretch with the trommel they used in the jungle last season.
They have just two miles to go to their new claim, McKinnon Creek.
Are you (BLEEP) me? That really sank out of sight, man.
I'll drive by here.
I'll go get the 400.
Erm, not so sure, Dad.
We could lift it and pull it, OK? I wouldn't go forwards.
I'd go backwards.
OK, here's what I think we ought to do.
We'll chain up to the bucket.
I'll try to lift, but I'm gonna try to pull.
Todd will use the loader to lift the 20-ton trommel and pull it out of the mud.
If this doesn't work, it's gonna bea long night.
This is wrong.
You just got the wrong piece of equipment to do the job.
OK, Dad, I'm gonna go turn around, come back, see if I can I don't know.
See if we can get this thing out, I don't know if it's gonna happen, but we'll try.
Well, at least we got the loader out now, we've got a chance.
Hook me down to the front, and I'll pull it up.
I will.
I will.
Just stop.
Come on, Jack.
Hurry up.
(METAL CREAKS) Starting to budge.
Whoa! Oh (BLEEP)! (BLEEP) Let's quit this.
Let's go get the 400.
Get me right underneath there and see if I can lift the whole thing.
Unchain me.
Todd is convinced he can make the loader work.
He wants to give it one more shot.
It's buried.
It's stuck in the (BLEEP).
Unchain me! You're pulling like this.
Hey, unchain me.
I can't get on any other place that's underneath.
Hey, unchain me.
You know what? You can just suck eggs.
(GRUNTS) Jack refuses, and heads off to get the 400.
Jack has a different plan: lift the trommel and haul it out backwards using the 400's traction.
I just don't think you're ever gonna pull that out.
You know what? Just kind of let me do my own thing.
Easy.
Easy.
(THUD) Geez! Stop, stop, stop, stop.
(GROANS) That's all she wrote right there.
But the 10-ton lift is just too much for the aging 400's hydraulics.
With night fast approaching, Todd and Jack desperately need a new plan.
Get the loader then, what we're gonna do is you're gonna push it out.
And I'm gonna go with you.
Plan A was mine.
Plan B was Jack's.
Now, our plan C, it's kind of a hybrid of both of our plans.
OK, Dad.
Start pushing.
Watch it.
Hey.
When I'm pulling, you need to push.
Push.
It's working.
He's got it.
Yeah! Woo! Good job, Dad.
Woo! 12,000 miles, Dad and finally found a home for her.
We're gonna actually get gold with this trommel.
I tell you what, we paid our dues.
This is our year, Dad.
Dude.
I love it.
Dad, this is so pretty.
You made it.
Holy ga-moley! Woo! 12,000 miles, man.
She came home.
Huh? Look at that.
That's all pay dirt, Thurber.
That's all pay.
Look to your left.
That's all pay dirt over there too.
Listen, we're short some machines.
It ain't gonna be pretty, but we've got enough to run dirt.
We're back in business, starting from scratch.
Bring it in, Dad.
Heavenly father, we thank you for just getting us here and helping us come through all the turmoil that we've gone through.
We praise you and we thank you.
It's in your name we pray.
Amen.
Amen.
What if we could come back from the ashes and kick some ass this year? You know what? Stranger things have happened.
With 316 mining is fricking back in business.
On the next Gold Rush The Hoffmans struggle with their three-man team.
Todd, turn it off.
The skeleton crew takes on the work of 10 men Stop! Get out of the way! .
.
just to get their wash plant up and running.
It bleeds down.
I fully understand that.
Their reward: a payday that's been a long time coming.
Yeah! That's our best first cleanup ever.
Tony Beets continues his mad scramble to tear down his dredge .
.
but his reckless abandon .
.
comes at a price.
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! (BLEEP) You see all that twisted sealant there, Tony? .
.
and determined to hit his 2,000-ounce goal We're falling behind.
.
.
Parker Schnabel lays down the law Either walk out of here, or we run 24/7.
.
.
then hits problem We got a hole in the belt.
.
.
after problem This just isn't working.
Pushing for a cleanup that just might get his season back on track.
That's good gold.
That's a pretty damn good pan.